Integrate Java with Strapi

These integration guides are not official documentation and the Strapi Support Team will not provide assistance with them.

What Is Java?

Java is a stable, platform-independent programming language that’s long been a cornerstone of enterprise backend development. When you integrate Java with Strapi, you combine a reliable language with a flexible headless CMS—ideal for building scalable, API-driven systems.

As an object-oriented language with strong typing and automatic memory management, Java offers the structure and safety needed for complex applications. Its consistent performance and cross-platform support make it a solid fit for integrating with modern tools like Strapi.

Java is used across industries, from finance to telecom, and continues to thrive as a go-to language for scalable infrastructure and long-term projects.

Why Integrate Java With Strapi

Pairing Strapi with Java gives you a powerful backend and content management combination. Integrate Java with Strapi to connect Strapi’s API-first architecture with Java’s proven enterprise performance—helping modernize content workflows without replacing existing systems.

With Strapi Cloud integration, you can deploy Strapi in a fully managed environment while still integrating it into your Java stack. Strapi v5 brings even better performance and developer experience, making this setup even more compelling.

Java-based teams benefit from:

• Flexible content delivery: Decouple content from presentation so Java apps can distribute it across web, mobile, and more
• Faster development: Strapi’s admin panel handles content modeling and publishing so Java developers can focus on business logic
• Strong scalability: Strapi’s lightweight core complements Java’s ability to scale across large systems
• Multiple API options: Choose between REST or GraphQL with Strapi depending on your use case

Strapi’s structured API design also makes it easy to map data between your CMS and Java services using standardized endpoints.

How to Integrate Java With Strapi

Integrating Strapi into your Java environment modernizes content management while leveraging your existing backend infrastructure. Here's how to do it effectively.

Technical Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you have:

• Node.js (Active or Maintenance LTS version)
• npm (typically bundled with Node.js)
• A supported database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, or MongoDB)
• Java SDK 8 or higher
• An HTTP client library for Java (e.g., built-in HttpClient, Apache HttpClient, or Retrofit)

Installation Steps

1. Install Strapi globally:

npm install @strapi/strapi@latest -g

2. Create a new Strapi project:

npx create-strapi-app@latest my-project --quickstart

This sets up a local project using SQLite by default. For production, switch to PostgreSQL or another production-ready database.

3. Start the Strapi server:

After setup, Strapi launches automatically and opens the admin panel at http://localhost:1337/admin.

Configuration and Integration

1. Configure your database in config/database.js if you're not using SQLite.
2. Create content types and APIs using the Strapi admin UI. 3. Consume Strapi APIs from Java using your preferred HTTP client. Here’s a simple example with Java’s built-in HttpClient:

HttpClient client = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
    .uri(URI.create("http://localhost:1337/api/articles"))
    .GET()
    .build();
HttpResponse<String> response = client.send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());
System.out.println(response.body());

4. Parse the JSON response using libraries like Jackson or Gson.

Production Considerations

For production deployments:

• Use Docker for both Strapi and your Java services
• Set up proper authentication (e.g., JWT tokens)
• Add caching to optimize API performance
• Explore different Strapi deployment options for scalability

This setup gives you a robust and flexible integration between Java and Strapi—perfect for enterprise content workflows and API-first architectures.

Project Example: Integrating Java With Strapi

Let’s walk through a real-world example of integrating Java with Strapi to build a content-driven application.

Use Case Overview

This project sets up a blog platform where:

• Strapi CMS manages blog posts and author profiles
• Java Spring Boot handles user authentication and comments
• React frontend consumes data from both services

This architecture shows how Strapi complements existing Java infrastructure to build modern, scalable apps. It’s a common approach when building something like a multi-tenant application with Strapi.

REST API Integration in Java

Here’s how the Java service fetches blog posts from Strapi using REST:

@Service
public class BlogService {

    private final RestTemplate restTemplate;
    private final String strapiBaseUrl = "http://localhost:1337/api";

    public BlogService(RestTemplate restTemplate) {
        this.restTemplate = restTemplate;
    }

    public List<BlogPost> getAllPosts() {
        String url = strapiBaseUrl + "/blog-posts";
        ResponseEntity<StrapiResponse> response = restTemplate.getForEntity(url, StrapiResponse.class);
        return response.getBody().getData();
    }
}

This example uses Spring’s RestTemplate to call Strapi’s REST API. The StrapiResponse class should match Strapi’s default JSON response shape.

GraphQL API Integration in Java

To fetch complex data structures, you can also use Strapi’s GraphQL API. This query retrieves an author and their blog posts in one request:

query {
  authors {
    data {
      attributes {
        name
        blog_posts {
          data {
            attributes {
              title
              content
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

In your Java app, use a generic HTTP client like OkHttp or Spring's RestTemplate to send the query and handle the JSON response. Apollo Client is popular in JavaScript and Android, but isn't typically used in Java server-side apps.

Explore the Documentation

For a complete walkthrough of this integration, including code samples for the Java backend, Strapi setup, and React frontend, check out the full guide on Restack.io.

This resource includes configuration steps, API examples, and tips for connecting Java microservices to Strapi in a real-world project.

Strapi Open Office Hours

If you have any questions about Strapi 5 or just would like to stop by and say hi, you can join us at Strapi's Discord Open Office Hours Monday through Friday at 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm CST.

For more details, visit the Strapi documentation and Java documentation.